The digital version of Red Dead Redemption is now playable on Xbox One systems, though it requires players to jump through some hoops in order to access it.

Ever since Microsoft announced Xbox One backward compatibility with Xbox 360 games at E3 2015, fans have been buzzing about potential games that will make their way to the service. One particular game that has been often requested by fans is Red Dead Redemption from Rockstar Games, an open world wild west title that has proven to be one of the most popular games of the last generation. Well, anyone willing to go out of their way to find it should be able to download and play the game on Xbox One right now.

Gamers can't simply find Red Dead Redemption in the My Games & Apps page or on the Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox One just yet. However, if one already owns it digitally (the disc version does not work at the time of this writing), then it is possible to download it on Xbox One anyway.

To download Red Dead Redemption on Xbox One, go to the "Find a Friend" menu. Search for the user that goes by the gamertag of RockoHoward, then check out his "following" list. Sort that list by games instead of friends, and find Red Dead Redemption. Choose to see Red Dead Redemption in the store, and then a prompt to begin the installation should appear.

The video below explains the process as well:

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What this means is that it is highly likely that Red Dead Redemption will be making its way to the Xbox One via Xbox 360 backward compatibility in a official capacity very soon - maybe even this month. Considering Red Dead Redemption is one of the most requested BC games, this isn't a huge surprise, except Rockstar Games has yet to add any titles from its portfolio to the service so far.

So, why begin by making RDR backward compatible and not a game with more brand name recognition, like Grand Theft Auto 4? Perhaps the answer is that Rockstar Games is gearing up for a Red Dead Redemption 2 announcement. After all, the Red Dead Redemption studio is hiring for an open world project, and considering the fact that the game sold over 14 million copies, it would be ludicrous if Rockstar didn't pursue a sequel.

Making Red Dead Redemption backward compatible could go a long way in promoting a potential Red Dead Redemption 2. Another possibility is that Red Dead Redemption is set to be added as a Games with Gold game, and as Microsoft promised previously, all future Xbox 360 Games with Gold titles must be made backward compatible with the Xbox One.

At any rate, with Red Dead Redemption added to the growing list of Xbox 360 games playable on Xbox One, it's a major win for Microsoft. The initial announcement of the service was met with great enthusiasm by the Xbox faithful, and so far, Microsoft has delivered in a big way. So while right now it does take a few extra steps to get Red Dead Redemption running on Xbox One, expect an official announcement on the game being added to the service very soon.

Red Dead Redemption is currently available for PS3 and Xbox 360. It's also playable on Xbox One, but not quite in an official capacity just yet.

Source: Venture Beat